Brooklyn ImmunoTherapeutics Announces Initiation of Phase 2 Trial of IRX-2 in Combination with Pembrolizumab and Chemotherapy in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

On February 9, 2021 Brooklyn ImmunoTherapeutics LLC ("Brooklyn"), a biopharmaceutical company focused on exploring the role that cytokine-based therapy can have in treating patients with cancer, reported the initiation of an open-label Phase 2 clinical trial of IRX-2 in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and chemotherapy in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) (Press release, Brooklyn ImmunoTherapeutics, FEB 9, 2021, View Source [SID1234574809]). The trial will be conducted at the Providence Cancer Institute in Portland, Oregon.

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IRX-2 is an allogeneic, cell-derived biologic with multiple active cytokine components, including IL-2, that act on various parts of the immune system associated with activation of the entire tumor microenvironment.

"In a Phase 1b clinical trial in early stage breast cancer, IRX-2 was well-tolerated as a single agent with no Grade 3 or 4 toxicities in patients and encouraging signs of activity including upregulation of PD-L1," said principal investigator David Page, M.D., medical oncologist and assistant member, Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, a division of Providence Cancer Institute. "These results provide a strong rationale for studying IRX-2 in combination with pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy that targets PD-1, and standard of care chemotherapy in triple negative breast cancer, a disease for which there is an urgent need for new treatment options."

"IRX-2 is currently being studied in a range of cancer indications, both as a single agent and in combination with other anti-cancer therapies, including checkpoint inhibitors," said Lynn Sadowski Mason, Executive Vice President, Clinical Operations of Brooklyn ImmunoTherapeutics. "We believe that the unique combination of cytokines in IRX-2 can improve outcomes for patients with solid tumor cancers based on its ability to activate the immune system in the tumor microenvironment. We look forward to the results of this clinical trial and to exploring potential new indications in the future."

About the Phase 2 Trial

The Phase 2 randomized, open-label trial is designed to assess the efficacy and safety of IRX-2 in patients with TNBC. Approximately 30 patients in total are expected to be enrolled. Patients with locally confirmed TNBC who have previously untreated locally advanced non-metastatic TNBC are eligible. Patients will receive alternating regimens of Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy and subcutaneous IRX-2 injections twice a day for 10 days as neoadjuvant therapy prior to surgery. The primary efficacy endpoint is pathological Complete Response (pCR), and patients will be evaluated following definitive surgery. Please refer to www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04373031) for additional clinical trial details.

This study is being supported in part by a research grant from the Investigator-Initiated Studies Program of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.

Innate Pharma Advances Lacutamab Clinical Development Program

On February 9, 2021 Innate Pharma SA (Euronext Paris: IPH – ISIN: FR0010331421; Nasdaq: IPHA) ("Innate" or the "Company") reported new clinical developments for its first-in-class, proprietary investigational asset, lacutamab, an anti-KIR3DL2 cytotoxicity-inducing antibody in development for T-cell lymphomas (Press release, Innate Pharma, FEB 9, 2021, View Source [SID1234574774]). This includes advancement of the KIR3DL2-expressing mycosis fungoides (MF) cohort (cohort 2) to Stage 2 in the TELLOMAK study, as well as the initiation of the peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) clinical program.

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Mycosis Fungoides: Advancing TELLOMAK Cohort 2 to Stage 2
In TELLOMAK, an open-label, multi-cohort, Phase 2 trial, lacutamab demonstrated a positive early signal in cohort 2. This cohort reached the pre-determined number of responses needed to advance to stage 2, allowing the Company to recruit additional patients. The Company plans to present this preliminary data at a scientific meeting in 2021.

Recruitment is ongoing in cohort 3, evaluating lacutamab as a monotherapy in KIR3DL2 non-expressing MF patients.

Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma: Introducing a Data-Driven Clinical Strategy
The Company reported plans to initiate two parallel clinical trials to study lacutamab in KIR3DL2-expressing patients with relapsed/refractory PTCL. Together these trials offer a data-driven strategy to identify potential opportunities for lacutamab in the relapsed setting, and potential expansion into earlier lines of therapy for PTCL in the future.

Phase 1b trial: a Company-sponsored Phase 1b clinical trial to evaluate lacutamab as a monotherapy in KIR3DL2-expressing patients with relapsed PTCL.

Phase 2 KILT (anti-KIR in T Cell Lymphoma) trial: The Lymphoma Study Association (LYSA) will launch an investigator-sponsored, randomized trial to evaluate lacutamab in combination with chemotherapy GEMOX (gemcitabine in combination with oxaliplatin) versus GEMOX alone in KIR3DL2-expressing relapsed/refractory patients.
"Lacutamab is our priority clinical asset, and we are pleased to share important progress of this program. The early signal seen in the KIR3DL2-expressing mycosis fungoides patient population is encouraging and moves us past the pre-determined threshold for the cohort earlier than anticipated," said Joyson Karakunnel, M.D., MSc, FACP, Chief Medical Officer Innate Pharma. "In addition, our PTCL trials announced today demonstrate our strategy to first explore lacutamab’s potential in the relapsed/refractory setting, then potentially in earlier lines of treatment. Partnering with LYSA will provide invaluable expertise given their track record in advancing therapeutics for the lymphoma community."

"Relapsed PTCL patients are in need of alternative, effective options and we are pleased to partner with Innate Pharma on this important study," said Franck Morschhauser, Professor of Hematology in Lille (France) and President of LYSA. "KIR3DL2 represents a meaningful target, as it is expressed in up to 50% of PTCL across subtypes. Through our global network and deep expertise in lymphoma, we believe this study will help us better understand the potential for lacutamab to help these patients."

To learn more about these updates, join Innate’s executive leadership team, as well as Pierluigi Porcu, M.D., Professor of Medical Oncology, Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology and Director, Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation at Jefferson University Hospital and principal investigator of Innate’s Phase 2 TELLOMAK study, and Olivier Hermine, M.D., Professor of Hematology at the University of Paris Descartes, Director, Division of Adult Hematology at Hôpital Universitaire Necker Enfants Malades and principal investigator of the LYSA Phase 2 KILT study for a virtual presentation today.

Webcast and conference call will be held today at 2:00 p.m. CET / 8:00 a.m. ET

Access to live webcast: View Source

Participants may also join via telephone by registering in advance of the event at View Source Upon registration, participants will be
provided with dial-in numbers, a direct event passcode and a unique registrant id that they
may use 10 minutes prior to the event start to access the call.

This information can also be found on the Investors section of the Innate Pharma website,
www.innate-pharma.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the Company website
for 90 days following the event.

About Lacutamab:

Lacutamab (IPH4102) is a first-in-class anti-KIR3DL2 humanized cytotoxicity-inducing antibody, which is currently in clinical trials for treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), an orphan disease. This group of rare cutaneous lymphomas of T lymphocytes has a poor prognosis with few efficacious and safe therapeutic options at advanced stages.

KIR3DL2 is an inhibitory receptor of the KIR family, expressed by approximately 65% of patients across all CTCL subtypes and expressed by up 90% of patients with certain aggressive CTCL subtypes, in particular, Sézary syndrome. It is expressed by up to 50% of patients with peripheral t-cell lymphoma (PTCL). It has a restricted expression on normal tissues.

About TELLOMAK:

TELLOMAK is a global, open-label, multi-cohort Phase 2 clinical trial recruiting patients with advanced T-cell lymphomas (TCL) in the United States and Europe. TELLOMAK is expected to recruit up to 150 patients, with lacutamab evaluated:

As a single agent in approximately 60 patients with Sézary syndrome who have received at least two prior systemic therapies, including mogamulizumab.
As a single agent in approximately 90 patients with mycosis fungoides (MF) who have received at least two systemic therapies.
In patients with MF, the study is designed to evaluate the benefit of lacutamab according to KIR3DL2 expression. The study comprises two cohorts in MF, testing lacutamab in KIR3DL2 expressing and non-expressing patients determined at baseline. These cohorts follow a Simon 2-stage design that will terminate early if treatment is considered futile. The Sézary syndrome cohort of the study could enable the registration of lacutamab in this indication.

The primary endpoint of the trial is objective response rate. Key secondary endpoints are progression-free survival, duration of response, quality of life and adverse events.

About Lacutamab in PTCL:

Two clinical trials will investigate lacutamab in KIR3DL2-expressing PTCL patients who have received at least one prior systemic therapy. Lacutamab is being evaluated:

In a multi-center, Phase 1b clinical trial as a single agent in approximately 20 relapsed patients expressing KIR3DL2. The trial is designed to evaluate safety, as well as characterize clinical outcomes, pharmacokinetics and immunogenicity of lacutamab alone in PTCL. Further expansion will be determined based on preliminary efficacy signals.
In a multi-center, randomized Phase 2 trial in combination with GEMOX in relapsed/refractory patients expressing KIR3DL2. This study will include approximately 60 patients. The combination trial, KILT (anti-KIR in T-Cell Lymphoma), is being conducted by the Lymphoma Study Association (LYSA) and its operational organization Lymphoma Academic Research Organisation (LYSARC); it will evaluate the efficacy and safety of lacutamab in combination with chemotherapy GEMOX in prescreened patients, with progression-free survival as the primary endpoint.

BostonGene and Weill Cornell Medicine Announce Publication in Cancer Discovery Revealing the Role of the Tumor Microenvironment in the Clinical Outcomes of Patients with DLBCL

On February 9, 2021 BostonGene Corporation, a biomedical software company committed to defining optimal precision medicine-based therapies for cancer patients, and Weill Cornell Medicine, reported a publication in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) (Press release, BostonGene, FEB 9, 2021, View Source [SID1234574810]). The manuscript "Clinical and biological subtypes of B-cell lymphoma revealed by microenvironmental signatures" highlights the tumor microenvironment as a critical component of B-cell lymphoma biology and the effects of different microenvironments on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) clinical behavior, establishing a significant opportunity for the development of novel and personalized therapeutic strategies for this disease.

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In this research study, the microenvironment subtypes of over 4,600 DLBCL patients were classified using curated and refined transcriptional signatures encompassing key microenvironment and cancer cells activities and processes. This analysis revealed four distinct DLBCL microenvironments (LMEs), each with its own set of unique biological and clinical properties. The LMEs were also found to correlate with different clinical outcomes and prognoses, and downstream preclinical mechanistic studies demonstrated that the LMEs could be applied in clinical decision-making for DLBCL patients.

"This study was designed to evaluate the role of the tumor microenvironment in DLBCL biology," said Leandro Cerchietti, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and a member of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. "The results revealed distinct DLBCL microenvironments with unique therapeutic vulnerabilities that can be utilized for optimization of DLBCL treatment strategies."

"The data demonstrate that this novel classification platform provides a roadmap for the therapeutic exploitation of the tumor microenvironment in DLBCL patients," said Nathan Fowler, MD, Chief Medical Officer at BostonGene. "Together with Weill Cornell Medicine, we look forward to identifying new treatment strategies to ultimately improve the clinical outcomes of these patients."

Adagene Inc. Announces Pricing of Initial Public Offering

On February 9, 2021 Adagene Inc. ("Adagene" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: ADAG), a platform-driven, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to transforming the discovery and development of novel antibody-based cancer immunotherapies, reported that it has priced its initial public offering (the "IPO") of 7,354,000 American depositary shares ("ADSs"), at US$19.00 per ADS (Press release, Adagene, FEB 9, 2021, View Source [SID1234574836]). The aggregate offering size of the IPO is approximately US$140.0 million, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option to purchase any additional ADSs. Each ADS represents one and one quarter (1.25) ordinary shares of the Company. The ADSs are expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on February 9, 2021 under the ticker symbol "ADAG." The IPO is expected to close on February 11, 2021, subject to customary closing conditions.

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The Company has granted the underwriters an option, exercisable for 30 days from the date of the final prospectus, to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,103,100 additional ADSs to cover over-allotments.

Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Jefferies LLC are acting as the joint bookrunners of the offering and representatives of the underwriters. China Renaissance Securities (Hong Kong) Limited is acting as co-manager of the offering.

A registration statement related to these securities has been filed with, and declared effective by, the SEC. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

This offering is being made only by means of a prospectus forming part of the effective registration statement. A copy of the final prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained, when available, by contacting the following underwriters: (1) Goldman & Co L.L.C., Address: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282-2198, by telephone at +1 (866) 471-2526 ; (2) Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Address: Prospectus Dept., 180 Varick Street, 2nd floor, New York, New York 10014, by telephone at +1 (866) 718-1649 and (3) Jefferies LLC, Address: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10022, by telephone at (877) 547-6340.

Vor Biopharma Closes Over $200M Initial Public Offering, Including Full Exercise of Option to Purchase Additional Shares

On February 9, 2021 Vor Biopharma (Nasdaq: VOR), a cell therapy company pioneering engineered hematopoietic stem cell (eHSC) therapies combined with targeted therapies for the treatment of cancer, reported the closing of its previously announced initial public offering of 9,828,017 shares of its common stock, plus an additional 1,474,202 shares sold pursuant to the full option exercised by the underwriters, at a price to the public of $18.00 per share (Press release, Vor BioPharma, FEB 9, 2021, View Source [SID1234575304]). The aggregate gross proceeds to Vor from the offering, before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by Vor, were approximately $203.4 million. The shares began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on Friday, February 5, 2021 under the ticker symbol "VOR".

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Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Evercore ISI, Barclays and Stifel acted as joint book-running managers for the offering.

Registration statements relating to the securities sold in this offering have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and have become effective. Copies of the registration statements can be accessed through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. This offering was made only by means of a prospectus forming part of the effective registration statements relating to these shares. Copies of the final prospectus may be obtained from Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, via telephone at 1-866-471-2526, or via email at [email protected]; Evercore Group L.L.C., Attention: Equity Capital Markets, 55 East 52nd Street, 36th Floor, New York, New York 10055, via telephone at 1-888-474-0200, or via email at [email protected]; Barclays Capital Inc., Attention: Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, New York 11717, via telephone at 1-888-603-5847, or via email at [email protected]; or Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, Attention: Syndicate, One Montgomery Street, Suite 3700, San Francisco, California 94104, via telephone at 1-415-364-2720, or via email at [email protected].

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any offer or sale of, these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.